Productivity and Relaxation

I would have thought, in celebrating my 86th birthday this week, I could easily allow myself the luxury of not being productive for seven days.

And yet, here I am, still producing — in this case my weekly blog.

Habit is first a cobweb, then a cord, and finally a cable.  While I’m sure I could cultivate the habit of not being productive, I’ve actually come to like it.  I enjoy seeing the tangible results of my efforts, and I also like the feeling of having accomplished something.

But I also like to be lazy. I like to spend time in activities that have no value other than my own entertainment.  That’s why I play solitaire on my iPhone (for hours at a time).  In fact, at this very moment I’ve interrupted my leisure time to be productive by writing this blog.

So if I enjoy being lazy, why do I engage in any willful act of productivity at all?  Perhaps a deeper truth is that I use productivity to justify my existence.  All of us must be productive to sustain ourselves.  We work to obtain food and shelter, and there is a special satisfaction from creating something of enduring value.

To summarize – I have many internal debates, and whenever I do I always win (metaphorically).  If I’m considering whether to write my blog, it must be Monday.  If I’m debating whether to play solitaire instead, it must be sometime between Monday afternoon and early the following Monday.  The choice is usually simple, because, as you already know, I respond to deadlines. So, unless I’m close to a deadline, well, solitaire will probably win out.

Fortunately, I enjoy writing my blog, especially once it is done and I can go back to relaxing (until the following week).  And yet, all kidding aside, I find writing to be not only productive, but also fun.  And over time, I’ve managed to create hundreds of blog entries –a nice record of ongoing productivity.

And, best of all, I hope that you are enjoying this blog, and that you are also learning something (that qualifies as being productive).  A twofer!

What could be more productive?

And fun?

Alan